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payload flow

payload flows provide versionable data storage functionality within the semantic mesh architecture.

Overview

A payload flow (formerly called a dataset flow) is a series of RDF datasets. Like all flows, each payload flow has snapshots (_default/, _working/, snapshot folders like 2025-11-24_0142_07_v1/) that track its evolution over time.

payload flows are distinct from metadata flows, which are usually managed by the platform and describe the mesh node itself and its components.

Purpose

payload flows serve as the primary content containers for paylod node, providing:

  • Content Storage: Hold the actual dataset payload that defines the node's content
  • History: Support multiple versions (snapshots) of the same conceptual dataset
  • Format Diversity: Provide multiple format distributions (TTL, JSON-LD, etc.)
  • State Management: Track current, draft, and versioned states of data

Structure

payload flows organize content through flow snapshots:

  • _default/ - Current stable version of the dataset
  • _working/ - Draft/work-in-progress version
  • Snapshot folders (e.g., 2025-11-24_0142_07_v1/, 2025-11-24_0142_08_v2/) - Versioned snapshots for historical access

Like all folder resource facet, they should contain an index.html mesh resource page -- a human-readable description for the flow.

Distribution Formats

Each flow snapshot typically provides multiple format distributions:

  • Trig (.trig): Primary RDF serialization
  • JSON-LD (.jsonld): JSON-compatible linked data
  • RDF/XML (.xml or .trix): XML-based RDF serialization
  • N-Quads (.nq): Line-based RDF format

Example

From the semantic mesh example:

/test-ns/djradon-bio/_payload          # payload flow
├── _default/                        # default snapshot
│   ├── djradon-bio.ttl             # turtle distribution
│   ├── djradon-bio.jsonld          # json-ld distribution
│   └── index.html                  # snapshot interface
├── _working/                          # draft snapshot
│   ├── djradon-bio.ttl             # draft turtle
│   ├── djradon-bio.jsonld          # draft json-ld
│   └── index.html                  # snapshot interface
└── index.html                      # resource page

Integration

payload flows integrate with other mesh components:

  • metadata flows: Provide provenance and management data
  • Asset Trees: Store associated files and media
  • Resource Pages: Provide human-readable interfaces
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